Category: Hindsight 2020

The Russians (Think They Are) Coming (In Late 2024, Early 2025)

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

At least one notable Russian thinks that the U.S. will be so “leaderless” in late 2024, early 2025 that they can strike Europe with impunity. While if you were to read this blog on a regular basis, you might think that was *possible*, even I have my doubts.

The two main scenarios facing us are Trump wins and there’s a major re-alignment of the global order and Trump loses and we somehow have a civil war. There is a third, less likely scenario, whereby Trump loses and…nothing happens.

I can’t predict the future. I have no idea what is going to happen. But I am worried that Something Big will happen in late 2024, early 2025. Does that mean Russia will be able to invade Europe at will? I dunno about THAT. But I do think it’s at least *possible* that there will be so much mass chaos taking place in late 2024, early 2025 for various Trump-related reasons that, yeah, maybe.

But the U.S. Military so powerful that even if Russia attacked, say, Poland, we could still put a hurting on Russia, even if the rest of the military was being force into an untenable situation by ding-dong Trump.

Yet, let me be clear — I can’t predict the future. It’s possible that the coming year will be rather meh or something unexpected will happen that will punt our problems down the road another four years.

‘I’m Done With You’ — #lyrics to #pop #rock #ballad

I’m Done With You
lyrics by @sheltgarner
please give credit if you produce or perform

conversations never had
leaving me less than glad
here I am wondering what is next
but you’ve left me no doubt
how you think by saying

I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you

I thought things
might get better
my head light as a feather
but now I realize my error
when you correct me
with these words

I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you

(bridge)
in my mind we’re together
again
but that’s just a wish
I’m afraid
the past is the past
and I just have to accept
my fate

I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you
I’m done with you

Things Continue To Improve With My Novel

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

While the scene continues to edge up some, in general, things –I think — have begun to stabilize some with this novel. One of my big worries is the story just isn’t dark enough for the genre. People want dark, twisted death and destruction when it comes to a modern mystery-thriller and, well, my story is more *edgy* than dark and twisted.

I kind of go there a few times. A few times I touch on subjects you just don’t really see talked about in pop fiction, at least, not in the way I address them. I’m very sex-positive, so I kind of matter-of-factly write about some rather provocative things between two consenting adults that will either make you giggle or oh, “hmmmm.”

Some of what I depict in this novel makes me nervous. I’m 50 years old, so I can only get in so much trouble with my family, but I think maybe that’s a good sign. It means I’m not playing it safe — even if the novel still isn’t nearly as dark and twisted as the modern mystery-thriller should be.

Only time will tell, I suppose.

Well, I Suspect Hollywood Actresses Will Like My Novel

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

As I’ve written before, Hollywood actresses have a…unique…psychology. And that psychology tends to get more unique the older they get because they often times become producers. That’s why someone like Jennifer Lawrence is cool with getting paid $20 million for a mid-tier vehicle where she apparently has a fight in the ocean totally buff naked.

And don’t get me started in how puzzling it is to me that there was this huge scramble to play the Hollywood movie version of Lisbeth Salander. I love the character, too, but, yikes, why put yourself through the horrific things that poor woman had to go through and have it on screen!

Sorry you had that done to you, Lisbeth.

Very curious.

With that in mind, it definitely seems as though if I win the creative lottery and my novel becomes successful enough that Hollywood will want to adapt it…that a lot of actresses will be interested in playing one of the numerous female characters I’ve come up with.

The novel isn’t nearly as dark as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. But there are some…edgy elements to it that I think Hollywood actresses might really like. But, really, what do I know.

I’m just drunk nobody in the middle of nowhere with a dream.

I Have A Growing Number Of Books About The New York Times To Read

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I now have TWO tomes about The New York Times to read. I already have one, The Trust, while I’m waiting on the second, newer one, The Times to arrive in a few weeks from Amazon.

For all its problems, I really love The New York Times and I wish I could hang out with a few of them at some point in my life. All the times I’ve crossed paths with them they came across as really genuine, nice folks. Two of the times I had an opportunity to interact with Times folks, I was as giddy as a 50s bobby socker.

Anyway. Absolutely no one cares or listens to me. And if I ever manage to breakout with my DJ (novel) money and actually hang out with any New York Times people that way, it will all be very, very surreal.

I’m been a drunk crank loser for so long that any change in that particular situation that allow me to have drinks with New York Times people would be a rather dramatic change of fate.

‘Minority Report’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Since I can’t predict the future, let’s go through some of the ways that we could somehow punt our structural political problems down the road in 2024, like we did in 2020.

The Primaries
Nikki Haley is gaining fast on Trump. And, as such, it is still within the realm of possibility that Trump will be seen as a paper tiger and Haley will be the nominee. But, of course, there is an equal chance that if something so unexpected happens, that Trump runs as an independent and calls for a civil war when he doesn’t win the general.

The General
The only reason why Trump remains a viable candidate is how fucked up our political system is. As such, no matter what, once he gets the nomination, he will be 60,000 votes in 5 swing states away from being POTUS again. But Trump is really, really unpopular with a huge segment of the population, so…I dunno. And just because Trump might demand a National Divorce if he loses, doesn’t mean anyone will listen to him.

Something Unexpected
It’s totally possible that just like in 2020, something really, really unexpected might happen in 2024 that throws everything for a loop.

Have I Got A Blockbuster Movie For You!

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The president of Hollywood.

I’m old enough to remember the ending of the original Battlestar Galaxia where they encountered modern day Earth. Well, what if you came up with a situation where a group of Star Wars-like people came crashing into modern Earth.

I think it would be great.

It would be great because you could explore how divided humanity is. And, what’s more, you get to use all the architypes found in Star Wars, only this time they deal with the modern globe.

The key issue of the story would be how divided humanity is and how — EVEN WITH A GALAXTIC EMPIRE BREATHING DOWN THEIR NECKS — humanity would STRUGGLE to get our act together.

Seems like it would be a lot of fun.

We Live In Strange Times

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m drunk, so I’m going to rant about something VERY against the media narrative. I’m annoyed that we’ve reached a point where gratuitous gay sex is great, but we can’t have just regular old heteronormative T&A without it being a Big Deal.

I find this very fucked up.

I’m not opposed to depictions of gay sex in pop culture — my novel sure does have enough of it — it’s just why can’t we have the heteronormative sexxy time of the 1980s in movies and TV in modern times?

It’s a very strange situation.

I have my doubts that this quirk of modern culture will change anytime soon. I think we probably have a solid 20 years before people think, “Hey, maybe it’s not so radical to have some traditional T&A in mainstream entertainment.”

Abortion Is An Economic Issue

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I can’t predict the future. No one can. But it definitely SEEMS as though the moment MAGA can ban abortion on a nation-wide basis, it will. The reason why I bring this up is abortion, likely slavery, is an economic issue.

While abortion obviously isn’t as dramatic an economic issue as slavery, the fact that Red states want the entire US to be pro-life isn’t exactly a great situation when it comes to the health of the Union.

The whole thing is very corrosive.

And it could be, when Trump starts to thrash around as a tyrant and band abortion nation-wide, it would be just that type of thing that could push women over the edge to the point that we have some sort of Women’s Strike against Trump.

But, what do I know. Lulz. No one listens to me.

It Was A Long Time Ago & Nobody Cares Anymore

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

The events of ROKon Magazine are pretty crazy. It once took a third party 30 minutes to explain the drama surrounding the magazine. It was then that I realized that the story of that failed magazine was pretty….great.

Anyway. I have Romanized what happened all those years ago a great deal, to an absurd degree. And, really, it’s been so long ago that no body — NO BODY — cares anymore.

But I do think that in a world where Saltburn is a hit, that the bonkers story of what happened with ROKon Magazine seems viable. And, yet, I really digging into what happened with the magazine to write a six novel project that is a downlow screed against extremism in general and MAGA specifically.

That doesn’t stop me from thinking about how someone, somewhere might want to tell the ROKon Magazine story something akin to literally. It’s got everything — sex, drugs, rock and people going crazy in Asia.

I think I need to just be content with the novels I’m writing, though. Absolutely no one cares at this point.